Unless otherwise indicated herein, the description in this section is not prior art to the claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
The present disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus that indicates operating status using a luminous body.
In image forming apparatuses, such as printers, copiers, facsimiles, and multifunction peripherals that combine these capabilities, an apparatus is known which has an indicator for indicating status information of the apparatus to the user. The status information is, for example, information about the status of a connection with a local area network, the status of reception of image data from an external device, or occurrence of trouble in the apparatus, such as a sheet jam or running out of toner. The indicator is typically formed by a luminous body, such as a light emitting diode (LED). In accordance with the status information, the luminous body illuminates in a predetermined pattern. Viewing the illumination of the luminous body allows the user to recognize the status information of the image forming apparatus.
In such an image forming apparatus of the related art, an indicator indicating status information is positioned based on the assumption that it will be viewed from a specific direction relative to a main body of the apparatus. Since such an indicator has a low level of visibility from directions other than the specific direction, the user may not be able to recognize the status information. For example, if the luminous portion of the indicator is located at the front of the apparatus, the luminous portion cannot be clearly viewed from the side or back of the apparatus.